Imaan, spouse granted bail

ISLAMABAD: Anti-Terrorism Court Judge Tahir Abbas Sipra has granted bail to lawyer and human rights activist Imaan Zainab Mazari and her husband Hadi Ali Chattha who were detained on charges of interference in government operations.

The bail plea was heard on Thursday, following an earlier judicial remand ordered by the Islamabad High Court in a related “security breach” case. Despite opposition from prosecutor Raja Naveed, the court approved bail on the condition that the couple submit surety bonds of Rs20,000 each.

Mazari and Chattha were arrested by Islamabad police allegedly for “creating a security risk” by moving road barriers during the England cricket team’s visit to facilitate traffic flow. A video shared on social media on October 25 purportedly shows the couple pushing the barriers.

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) had ordered the couple to a 14-day judicial remand on Tuesday after overturning the ATC’s three-day physical remand. Thursday’s proceedings included Chief Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Saman Rafat Imtiaz, with Qaiser Imam and Zainab Janjua representing the couple. The court directed the prosecutor to read the remand application, after which Justice Farooq questioned the adequacy of the remand order, which the prosecutor defended.

Chief Justice Farooq cited Lahore High Court guidelines on remand orders, to which Imam said that the physical remand had been suspended the previous day. Consequently, Justice Farooq issued a short order sending the couple to judicial remand. The court also ruled that the ATC judge’s previous decision on physical remand lacked concrete reasoning.